Bwindi and Gorilla Trekking

The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, an ancient, dense and misty rainforest in southwestern Uganda, is a UNESCO site and one of the last strongholds of the endangered mountain gorilla, home to roughly half of the world's remaining population. The unforgettable, often life-changing experience of gorilla trekking involves hiking, sometimes for hours, through the steep, tangled jungle with expert guides to find a habituated family, and then spending a magical, strictly limited hour in their presence, watching these gentle giants at astonishingly close range.

What you actually see

• The mountain gorillas - the magical hour with a gorilla family.
• The Impenetrable Forest - the ancient, dense, misty rainforest.
• The trek - the guided hike through the jungle to find the gorillas.
• The wider wildlife - the birds, monkeys and biodiversity of the forest.

When to go

The drier seasons, June to September and December to February, are best for trekking, when the steep forest trails are less muddy and slippery; even then it can rain, as it is a rainforest. Gorilla permits are limited daily and must be booked well in advance.

Honest expectations

It is a serious, costly undertaking: gorilla permits are expensive, strictly limited and must be booked far ahead, and the trek can be a strenuous, muddy, hours-long hike through steep, tangled jungle, needing reasonable fitness. Sightings, though, are all but guaranteed with the habituated families. The one hour with the gorillas is heavily protected, life-changing, and directly funds their conservation, making the high cost genuinely worthwhile.

Nearby

Lake Bunyonyi, the Queen Elizabeth park and the Rwandan gorillas are within the region.